Young Volcanoes
by Eliot Rosewater
Summary: Political tension is thick among the nations. But for a young Zuko, it's just another summer on Ember Island.


Born under a bad sign, the Fire Sages would later say. Princess Ursa had labored through midday, and finally held the baby in the fading twilight. There was no proof behind it, but it was said that children born as the sun set were weaker. High noon was when conquers and leaders of men took their first breath. _Gold,_ the people of the caldera hoped. _Let the child's eyes be gold. _

A storm had been battering the island for hours. What had been a light rain that morning had become a monsoon with gale-force winds. The wall hangings snapped whenever a gust cut through the open windows. The princess had sent away all the servants and bed maids, telling them not to say a word. Only the guards outside the door remained. Not a sound was escaping the ornate walls. Privately, the two guards thought that the child must be stillborn. Surely they would have heard crying by now. A princess would not send away her handmaids unless she needed to grieve alone.

It came as a surprise to them when the lantern beside the door ignited. The flame burned small and tired. A lantern such as that one could only be lit from the inside, and it only meant one thing. It was asking them to summon the royal family. It did not take long for Prince Iroh and his son, Lu Ten, to turn up outside the door. It took much longer for Prince Ozai to arrive. With a wave of his hand, Ozai put out the summoning lamp. Both guards ushered them into the room.

Inside they found the new mother cradling the infant to her chest with one arm while the other lit a white fire in the hearth. They all knew it would travel the kindling path inside the chimney until it lit a massive brazier outside the palace, signaling the arrival of a new royal to the whole city. There it would burn until he died.

Ursa turned so that her back was to the fire. Slowly, she offered the newborn out to her husband. A look of weary pride on her face, she said, "Prince Ozai, I present our son Zuko."

Ozai did not take the baby. There were several thoughts that occurred to him. But he didn't comment on how _small _the thing was, or how it hadn't made a sound yet, hadn't so much as shifted in its mother's arms. Just as he thought this, tiny eyes opened and stared vaguely at Ozai. The only acknowledgment he made toward the child was a slight nod of his head. Red robes swirled around his ankles when he turned on his heel. The door slammed closed so hard that the white fire faltered but did not go out. Ursa drew the newborn back into her folded arms. Her son remained quiet. She looked down at him, and he stared back with unnatural focus. _Not gold,_ she noted of his eyes. _More like copper. _

Iroh and Lu Ten advanced with much less severe looks. With equal parts excitement and apprehension, Lu Ten asked, "May I?"

Proud and weary smile back in place, Ursa said, "Of course."

They executed the exchange of the infant as through it were a piece of fine dragon glass that might shatter if they applied just slightest amount of excessive pressure.

Lu Ten smiled at his father and aunt with a fluttery look on his face. Delicately, he looked down at his new cousin. Hopefully the palace wouldn't seem so vast and quiet now that there was kid in here again. Lu Ten kept the thought to himself. "So small, so _light_."

Those eyes stared back, oblivious to his comments. Lu Ten went on smiling stupidly at his infant cousin.

Iroh turned to his sister-in-law and smiled. "Congratulations. He is beautiful. You must be so proud."

A nod confirmed her agreement. "He didn't make it easy."

Their shared laugh was muted compared to the rumblings of the storm outside. The monsoon season had been relentless this year.

"The storm doesn't bother him," Iroh remarked. "You will have your hands full with this one, no doubt."

"He is quiet," Ursa countered. "I wonder how long that will last."

He laughed quietly again. "I can assure you, Ursa, that will not last long. Just wait until you're sleeping."

"I would say that I'm looking forward to it, but I don't want to curse myself."

At that time Lu Ten returned with the infant and had another cautious exchange with Ursa. He lightly brushed the infant's delicate hair, already black as night against his porcelain skin. He dipped his head and put his hands together, fist against palm. "Congratulations, Princess Ursa."

"Thank you," she said, but she only had eyes for her son.

"We should let you rest," Iroh decided. He didn't want to intrude on a mother's time with her child. When he ran a finger down the infant's cheek, a tiny hand grasped his finger. Smiling wetly, he said, "Welcome to the family, little Zuko. I think you're going to like it here."

The two departed shortly after. Ursa contently pulled the baby closer to her chest and hummed a song her father used to sing. The fast little heartbeat in her arms was not at all different from the rhythm fire had when she held the flames in her hands. _A flame of my very own has come to life_ she thought. Precious and small, but hers all the same. Thunder rolled through the sky but the child didn't stir. In fact, he almost seemed comforted by the sound. It wasn't until the lightning crackled beyond the window that those molten eyes opened again. Ursa couldn't quell her grin upon seeing them.

Finally, he made a soft whine. It only served to broaden her smile. It was the first conscious sound he'd made. Breathing in deeply, she carefully let some heat escape her hands to warm him. He watched her with that unnatural focus as she walked slowly toward the hearth, softly singing the words of her father's song now. When she sat before his lifefire, his eyes reflected shifting hues of green and blue. A small smile stretched her tired face. _Dragon's eyes._

* * *

><p>Hot sun was beating down on the palace and the red orioles were chirping while a three year old prince sat next to his mother and the baby princess. He watched his mother cautiously. In truth, Zuko did not like his new sister. It had only taken him two stormy days to decide he was over being a brother. Azula was so <em>loud<em>. Her high pitched nightly wailing carried clear across the palace to his room. Where Zuko had been almost silent in his first year, his new sister was rarely so subdued. Even her sleep was punctuated with whines and moody groans. But Ursa always seemed to know what to do to assuage the noise.

Zuko didn't know _why_ he was tired of his sister, of course. At the very least, he didn't understand the emotions in him that said so. Being a limited three-year old, he simply frowned at her every chance he got, put off by the noise she was undoubtedly making. Always always _always_ Azula was whinnying and requiring his mother's attention. Zuko didn't like to share Ursa's attention. He felt like the baby was taking away something that had always been his and _only_ his. Was it too late to give her back? When he asked Ursa this, her laughter sounded like tinkling bells.

"Yes, Zuko, it is too late to give her back," she said with a smile. "Aren't you happy that you have a sister?"

"No," he said flatly.

As if to demonstrate exactly _why_ he felt that way, baby Azula twisted towards him in Ursa's arms and let loose a short but loud shriek.

"Be _quiet_, Azula!" Zuko said exasperated. It seemed like that was all he ever said to her. A frown creased his face when she squealed at him in return. Hadn't he put up with this long enough? How many more months until the shrieks stopped? Stubborn eyes looked up at Ursa as though she had somehow betrayed him by bringing this unceasingly vociferous _thing_ into their house.

Not escaping her notice, Zuko's eyes danced green and violet when the sun reflected in them. It was a trait that, Ursa had noted, her daughter did not have. Smiling, she said, "You must be patient with her, Zuko. All babies are like this."

"_I_ wasn't," he declared. True as it was, there was no way he could possibly know that with any certainty.

Perhaps eager to be included in the conversation, Azula cooed and gurgled in Zuko's direction. A tiny hand reached toward him with the weakest of coordination. The bed shifted when Zuko cringed away. Ursa _tsk_ed and put an arm around her son, pulling him back toward her.

"I don't _like her_, Mom," he complained.

"Nonsense. You're just not giving her a chance. She's your _sister_, Zuko, whether you like it or not."

Under her arm, he grumbled.

Not to be outdone, Azula fixed her golden eyes on him and babbled and gurgled again, hand still reaching toward him.

"I think she likes you." The words were soft, meant to be encouraging. "You know, as her big brother, it's your job to look out for her and protect her. She's going to need you. She's going to depend on you to help her."

Zuko looked from his baby sister to his mother, unconvinced.

"Here," Ursa said. Without waiting for a response, she maneuvered Azula into Zuko's lap. He had no choice but to wrap his arms around her or risk his sister being smothered in the scarlet sheets. Ursa would never have sprung her on Zuko if she wasn't completely confident that he would catch her. No matter how much he claimed to dislike her, Zuko wouldn't simply let something bad happen to her. "That's not so bad, is it?"

Azula _gih_ed shrilly at her brother and drooled down her chin. Tiny fists gripped Zuko's front, and she buried her face in his chest, content. Feeling the saliva seep into his shirt, he grimaced and looked betrayed once again.

"She's doing it on purpose," Zuko declared when Azula started pulling on the fabric of his shirt and giggling as she blew bubbles.

Ursa suppressed a giggle of her own at the resigned tone of his voice. "In a few years, she'll be following you around everywhere you go; you'll be best friends. I know she's loud, but you'll be glad you have her sooner or later. Okay?"

Zuko looked down at Azula dubiously. "Okay."

Yanking hard on his shirt, as if to get his attention, Azula stuck her tongue out and babbled some more. Zuko flinched at the sound and looked pointedly at his mother. The pulling intensified, insistent.

"Zuzu," she garbled. With another tug on his shirt, she repeated, "Zuzu!"

A hand covered Ursa's smile, but a longsuffering groan came from Zuko; already regretting his agreement to give his little sister another chance.

* * *

><p>Ember Island was too busy and loud for Zuko's taste (if seven-year olds could have taste). They had their own relatively private swath of beach, but ever since he had run out into the surf to rescue Azula (who had been pretending to drown in the shallows) last year, his feelings for the place had soured. Or maybe he had lost his enthusiasm for the place when Azula had heated a bucket of water to near-boiling temperatures and proceeded to dump it on him. Watching his skin peel off that summer certainly hadn't made him fond of the beach house. Zuko knew that his father had a much brighter opinion of the incident since it was Azula's first controlled bending. Two years her senior and Zuko still couldn't separate the heat from the fire. Just a toddler and she had already outstripped him.<p>

Azula relished Father's attention and never missed an opportunity to showcase her ability to heat things with her hands _without_ producing a flame. Everyone already knew she could make a fire. Her first flame had come when she was just more than one year old. It was a small thing produced by her frustration at Zuko, but it was still there. On the flip side, he hadn't made so much as a puff of smoke until he was five, and even then it was a product of emotion rather than control.

Azula had weathered the Spirits' Test when she was just two. Most firebenders didn't experience it until they were four or five. The Spirits' Test was often equated to the loss of milk teeth. At a certain age, firebenders would contract a fever and a burning sickness would follow. There were rare cases where a child would not survive it, but those were few and far between. Many decades before, the Spirits' Test would claim more lives. Its very name came from the number of children that were not judged worthy of the spirits' gift of fire. Or this is what they believed back then; needing an explanation for their young benders' untimely deaths. In most cases, the arrival of the Spirits' Test was celebrated. True bending training would take place after the fever passed. Indeed, benders would see a remarkable increase in the fire they could create. A power would remain after the fever burned away. The anniversary of the day a firebender passed the Spirits' Test was often more celebrated than a birthday.

And although they always checked, Zuko never caught a fever. His blood never boiled and he never coughed up the dark telling smoke. Some would start to think that he simply wasn't a bender. Hadn't produced a fire? Hadn't experienced the Spirits' Test? Clearly, he was not a firebender then. The royal family would have come to this conclusion if they hadn't seen contradictory evidence. Whenever Zuko slept, any fire nearby would breathe with him. Ursa had been the first to notice this. She would sit with him as he slept and watch the hearth fire grow and dampen with every breath he took. But never when he was awake. The fire was ambivalent during his waking hours, flickering and content to ignore him. His frustration grew exponentially but a fire could never be summoned.

Zuko's lack of ability had caused him much grief. That look of disappointment always dampened Father's face whenever he looked from Azula to Zuko. Various masters and coaches were called upon but they could never force so much as an ember out of him no matter how hard they tried. And try they all did. Methods were extreme and varying. One made Zuko breathe for hours on end. Another had him sit in the sun and meditate. Success was almost reached by the one who had him try bending from an existing source instead of trying to force a fire to come from within. One of the more memorable masters had him stay in the frozen caverns beneath the palace in the hopes that he would heat himself to stay alive. All that particular method had done was make him sick. This was the same person that tried bending and attacking Zuko ruthlessly until he bent fire to defend himself. Clearly, that hadn't had the desired affect either, although he did keep the royal physician _very _busy. Zuko suspected that Father had put some sort of monetary prize out there for anyone that could get him to actually produce fire.

So far: squat.

On the island, Mother, Father, and Uncle had all gone over to some boring political party at some other rich Fire Nation noble's house. Lu Ten was left to watch him and Azula with the occasional prying eyes of the staff. Only about three non-blood relatives traveled with the royal family to the summer house, but they were around so often here and at the palace, that they were considered family by most (_not_ by Ozai).

And that was what brought Zuko to the hot sand on the beach. He wanted to mope where no one would see him. The sun was setting and he'd be tired before long. Feeling where the sun was had never been a problem for him (another sign that was indicative of firebending). Whenever it ducked behind the horizon, Zuko felt excessively tired. Even Azula could stay awake longer than he could after the sun had set. She took great pride in this and never missed an opportunity to poke fun at him. Perhaps she really should be the older sibling.

The day had been whittled away while Uncle taught him to play a new song on the tsungi horn. After that one firebending teacher had made him breathe for twelve hours straight, he was pretty good at forcing air through the golden pipe. Frankly, Zuko didn't care for the large cumbersome instrument, but his mother always looked delighted when she heard him playing. He continued to take begrudging lessons from Uncle to please her. Despite being quite good at coaxing beautiful sounds from the horn, playing it brought Zuko no joy beyond seeing Ursa so happy. Prodigy with the tsungi horn he may be, but it was never enough. He had once spent an entire summer mastering every instrument in their music room. It did not please Ozai anymore than the horn had. Zuko came to resent the instruments.

He buried his hands in the sand and sighed. It was exhausting work being around Azula all day. The heat in the sand shifted around his hands teasingly. He didn't even try to manipulate it. A _whoosh_ing of fire reached him: Azula and Lu Ten messing around, no doubt. Gritting his teeth, Zuko stood and made for the jungle beyond the house. At first he had no idea where exactly he was going. Deciding to let his feet surprise him, Zuko sulked silently. His boots were silent on the lush growth of the jungle floor. The sun was completely blocked by vegetation after walking for no more than five minutes. It didn't take long for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Sneaking around was just one of the many things he'd tried to master in lieu of firebending. All the same, he wished he was able to conjure up some fire. It wasn't exactly the smartest thing to go wandering around in the dark jungle all alone. Zuko was fully aware that he had no way to defend himself if a scorpion-badger or a chameleon-python attacked.

It didn't take long for him to realize he was headed toward the geyser field. The little vents were a trail marker for the tourists of the island that were hiking up to the volcano. A long time ago, a firebender and a waterbender would bend the magma beneath to make a spectacular show. It had been a long time since then. There weren't a lot of waterbenders that stayed for extended periods in the Fire Nation anymore. Occasionally one of the poles would request Fire Nation aid when they suspected a volcano of immanent eruption. The two types of benders together could divert the magma to a safer place, away from the cities. By the time Zuko reached the geyser, it was steaming weakly.

This was unusual. The volcano was extinct, had no magma supply. There wouldn't be booming tourism on the island if they thought the volcano would ever erupt again. The history of the Fire Nation was just another topic Zuko had attempted to master in order to please his father. Frowning, he approached the steaming hole. The vegetation gave the geysers in the field a wide berth. The moon was shining on the clearing.

Mere feet away from the ledge, Zuko stopped dead when he heard it. Quiet and pained, it was a screech. _There's something down there!_ Tentatively, not wanting to get attacked by a mad animal, Zuko peeked over the edge. Heat rushed up and ruffled his hair. Air lodged itself in his throat. Yellow eyes looked up at the sound.

_Dragon!_

It screeched at him, curling tighter around itself.

Unlike a smart person, Zuko did not back away. Instead, he held its gaze, completely in awe of it. Based only on the stories he'd heard, this thing was _small_. After Avatar Roku's dragon Fang had died, all the rest in the Fire Nation simply vanished. It was a rare and noteworthy experience to see an actual dragon these days. Zuko didn't have to be a genius to know that something was wrong with this little one. Although it was actually gold, its scales looked silver in the moonlight. When it lifted its head to him, smoke furling out of its nose, he saw what had the dragon all out of sorts.

Eggs.

Two eggs were in the center of its curled body. The steam must have been from the dragon breathing on them. Zuko was fond of dragon stories, so he knew that, usually, the eggs were kept in nests that were perpetually on fire. Without fire, the eggs petrified. He had seen the rocky shells that were found in abandoned nests after all the dragons had gone in museums. The mother must be dying if she didn't have the eggs in a burning nest. No wonder she hadn't melted Zuko's face off the moment she'd seen him. _She can't produce fire._ Perhaps she thought the volcano was still active and thought the geyser would offer warmth for the eggs. _Dying_. Both mother and offspring were dying in an extinct geyser.

Zuko had to help.

Without thinking, he slid over the edge and landed on the ledge the dragon was curled up on. The mother hissed steam toward him defensively, teeth gnashing. He held his hands up in surrender. She turned only for a moment to smoke the eggs before fixing him with her gaze.

"It's okay," he said, feeling stupid. "I can't make fire either."

That seemed to do it. She looked away from him and continued to breathe hot breath onto the eggs as if he wasn't there. No fire? No threat. No help. Zuko was reminded of his father. Even a _dragon_ was dismissing him because of his lack of firebending. Angry at the animal, he walked right up to her flank. When she didn't even flinch, he put a hand on her scales. They were _hot_. His initial reaction was to yank his hand away. But Zuko held his ground and kept his hand firmly in place. The heat was building, and he thought he would burn his hand out of sheer stubbornness. Just as the heat reached an unbearable temperature, it began to cool as the mother dragon exhaled on the eggs.

The head shifted and suddenly she was fixing him with her yellow eyes again. Zuko wondered how he had ever thought she looked small. With those sharp fangs bearing down on him, his heart began to race. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ But she merely huffed at him as if she was impatient. Heat built up under his hand, and Zuko thought she was just about to let loose a tongue of fire that would cook him where he stood. Instead she breathed hotly on him just as she did to the eggs. Sweat pricked at his skin when it reached him. Her steamy exhale was much hotter than her scales. But it didn't burn him, Zuko was surprised to find.

_Fire_, she seemed to saying. _I need a fire_.

"I can't," Zuko said. He knew she hadn't said anything, but that's where his mind had been and he couldn't stop the words from coming out.

The dragon breathed on him impatiently again. She looked pointedly at the eggs, bathing them in steam and a little smoke. Silently, he followed her. Zuko kept a hand on her flank as he came around towards her head. When he was standing beside her and the two scaly eggs, he crouched down. For all of the teachers and masters that had failed him, Zuko still felt like he didn't know what to do. They had hammered home solid footing and breathing and the flow of chi, but none of it seemed useful at this point in time.

So he breathed in sync with the dragon.

Perhaps he was imaging it, but he thought his lungs were feeling hot inside his chest as they did this. He was probably just breathing in the dragon's exhale. It seemed like he did this for a long time. That or the dragon breathed extremely slowly. His head was starting to feel dizzy and tired.

_Fire,_ the mother seemed to insist. Her snort sounded on verge of anger.

"I don't know how," Zuko insisted right back. It sounded both petulant and needy. He thought a dragon was communicating with him. Where was the sun? It was past time he went to sleep.

Another snort. Definitely angry.

He thought she was getting snippy. Hadn't he already told her that he couldn't make a fire!? How many times had he thought that during his "firebending" training? Didn't any of those bozos get it? He _couldn't do it_. They could talk theory all they want, but when it came to practice? Sorry. To show the dragon how ridiculous she was being, he demonstrated his lack of ability for her. Breathing in with her, he went through those engraved steps in his head.

_Fuel, air, and ignite!_

Only this time his hand produced a tiny blaze and a lot of smoke. So surprised was he that it had actually worked that his breath hitched and the fire was gone.

_Hmph!_

Zuko gave the dragon a moody look. "Shut up. That was a fluke."

Taking air in at the same time the dragon did, he tried again. Fire smaller than that of candle and a hell of a lot of smoke. Apparently, there was something wrong with his ignition. Zuko felt like a broken machine. He frowned at his hand that wasn't on the dragon. Having tried and failed to firebend so many times was finally starting to wear on him.

"Why doesn't it work?"

Only a snort of derision answered him.

A short time later she exhaled on the eggs. Yellow eyes glanced at him, waiting for him to breathe with her again. Reluctantly, he did. Free hand laid against the dry nest the dragon had the eggs nestled in, Zuko tried once again. On the inhale: _fuel, air—ignite!_

And it did.

In truth, a spark rock probably would have yielded better results. But Zuko was proud. As soon as the dry material caught, the mother dragon made an odd groaning sound. Breathing on the embers with a delicacy that didn't match her massive size, she coaxed it into a real fire. He was so amazed by the sight that he almost leaned right into it. An annoyed snort and a lungful of smoke made him sit back on his heels.

With the fire at a reasonable size, the dragon shifted beside him. Yellow eyes looked straight at him. Zuko couldn't see it, but the dragon saw colorful fire reflected in his eyes. Glancing from him back to the burning eggs, she stood up with a groan and took off into the sky.

"Wait!" he called. Mild panic gripped his throat. "Come back."

She obviously wasn't listening. The hand that had been on her scales the whole time felt cold in her absence. Left alone with the eggs, Zuko took the opportunity to really look at them. They didn't look too different from the artifacts in the museums. With a pang of sadness he wondered if they had been too late in starting the fire and the babies within had already petrified. Both were scaly and rough. Upon closer inspection, their colors were quite fascinating. One looked very much like the mother that had just flown off: golden and white scales alternating on the shell in a no particular pattern. The other was red and gold. Was that what the father's scales looked like? Dragons mated for life so it seemed a logical conclusion to draw. Despite being completely different textures Zuko was reminded of a phoenix, the nation's bird.

Hopefully she had gone off to collect more things to burn. The nest would likely be nothing more than ashes in an hour. Even if Zuko knew how to keep a fire burning in his hands that long, he was sure he'd pass out. Keeping a fire burning that long took a lot of energy and stamina. Things that he knew he didn't have when it came to firebending. Hell, just a few minutes ago he had made a flame for the first time.

So he sat beside the eggs and tried to breathe like he had when the dragon was still there. His lungs filled with hot air each time but only smoke rose from his fists. For some reason this never discouraged him. Didn't Uncle always say 'where there's smoke there's fire'? After seven fruitless years, Zuko would take useless smoke where he could get it. At least he could control it, summon the smoke on command.

Focusing solely on the likely-dead eggs, Zuko managed to make tiny flames lick at his fingers by the time the mother dragon streaked back down into the dead geyser. The rock ledge he'd been sitting on shook under her weight. Briefly, he wondered if she was trying to kill them all. But the rock held—she was a dragon, after all, not a badger-mole. She had brought more fuel for the fire. Zuko noticed that she moved slowly now that she had landed. All that work and she was still dying. He tried not to think about his suspicions that the eggs had already turned to stone.

Quietly, so quiet that the sound was almost lost under the noise of the fire crackling, a voice carried down to them. It was far off, the wind taking it farther than it should.

"Zuko!" it called again.

His eyes met that of the dragon. Feeling again as though it had communicated with him, he said, "I won't tell."

Scurrying over the steep rocks and ash of the geyser, he finally made it out. It was not a graceful roll from the top of the geyser's edge down the ground. He got up and tried to brush the soot and dirt from his clothes.

The voice called again, worried.

Only when he was far enough away from the geyser did he answer.

"I'm here!"

Crashing leaves and snapping sticks echoed through the jungle as his caller approached. If Zuko didn't know any better, he would have said that it sounded like this person was absolutely barreling through the foliage.

"Zukoooo?" they called, dragging out the last letter.

Moving toward the sound, he said calmly, "Over here."

And then his cousin was crushing him in an embrace. Lu Ten didn't even seem to care that a puff of smoke came out of Zuko's lungs with an _oof!_ when he crushed him.

Not pulling him away, Lu Ten breathed, "Zuko, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he tried to say, but his cousin was smothering him.

"Agni, do you have _any_ idea how worried I was?"

"I do now."

Finally—_finally_—Lu Ten let him take a step back. He kept his hands firmly on Zuko's shoulders. "Don't you ever, and I mean _ever_, take off like that again. We had no idea where you went! I expected something like this from Azula. But you? I thought you had more sense."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Just don't _ever_ do that to me again. You mother would have me skinned if I let you disappear on my watch."

"I didn't mean to upset you." After a pause he asked, "So who's watching Azula?"

"Kyko is. We should get back there before Azula gives her the slip."

Zuko nodded and walked towards the house. Lu Ten's hand never left his shoulder. Perhaps he wanted to make sure he wouldn't disappear. There was trouble in that. Zuko felt exhausted. It was later than he'd ever stayed up before. No continuing adventures this night.

So of course the walk back felt longer than the walk out to the geyser. But they finally made it back to the warm light of the beach house. They had almost reached the door when Lu Ten stopped him. He crouched before Zuko looking confused.

"What's on your face?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he started to scrub at Zuko's cheek.

He jerked away. "Ah! Cut it out."

"What is that? Ash? Why is there ash and soot all over your face?"

Zuko shrugged evasively. "We're on a volcanic island full of firebenders. There's ash everywhere."

It was clear that Lu Ten didn't buy the excuse, but he didn't question it any further. Zuko appreciated his cousin's ability to just leave things alone. If someone wanted to say something, he would let them come to it on their own time. Lu Ten didn't pry. Besides, he probably believed that more than he would the truth. So he just went on scrubbing Zuko's face of the dark powder until it was gone. Then he told him to go to his room and go straight to sleep.

Zuko did not object.

* * *

><p>It wasn't the shaking thunder or the brilliant flashes of lightning that woke Zuko up. It was his sister.<p>

"Zuzu," she had whispered. "Zuzu, are you awake?"

Annoyed at being woken by her _again_, he tried to pretend he couldn't hear her. Maybe she would go away if she thought he was deeply asleep. He should have known better.

"Zuko!" Azula said with more impatience and something that sounded suspiciously like fear.

Though he would never admit it, he was worried that something had made his unflappable sister scared like that. Whenever she snuck into his room at night it was never with that timbre in her voice. Just when he decided to stop pretending, she grabbed his arm in a death grip, her hand superheated.

"Ow!" he yelped, instantly awake. When he sat up, he made sure to level his little sister with a glare.

"Knew you were faking," she said unapologetically. Despite the devious look on her face she still had a frightened air about her. The clumsy flickering flames in hand showed that the smirk wasn't touching her eyes.

"What do you want, Azula?"

She shrugged but crawled into his bed anyway. Zuko was taken aback but didn't say anything when she leaned into his side. A poke in the ribs made him flinch away.

"You're cold," she said plainly.

Sighing tiredly, he responded, "Why are you here?"

Her bottom lip sought refuge between her teeth. But it was only for second. A clench of her fist snuffed out the flame she was producing. "Father's coming back, right?" she finally questioned.

"Of course. Why wouldn't he?" Zuko was surprised by the question. He didn't often talk about Father with Azula. Both of them were aware on some level that he favored her, and neither of them wanted to bring it up with the other. There were times when Zuko had asked his mother why Father seemed to hate him, but Ursa had always assured him that it wasn't that way at all. He was just very busy and frustrated; taking it out on everyone else. She never told him _why _Ozai was always so angry, though Zuko knew it had something to do with the war.

The war with the Earth Kingdom had been initiated by accident, most people would agree. At least, those in the Fire Nation would agree. It was said that a rogue group of terrorists of Fire Nation heritage had attacked a royal cruise ship belonging to the Earth King. What had appeared to be a pirating of the rich ship turned deadly when the Earth Kingdom benders sunk the terrorists' ship. In the struggle, somehow, the Earth King had been killed. Beloved by his people, the whole kingdom rallied their militias together. At first, the Earth Kingdom was not united, but rather a bunch of hurt and vengeful citizens working in loosely allied groups. One of those groups sailed to the Fire Nation and raided a school filled with children. They abducted fifty of the children and brought an avalanche down on everyone else that remained inside the school.

The aging Fire Lord Sozin had demanded that the new Earth King, a proud and unyielding man, return the Fire Nation children or he would invade with each and every resource available to him; repay each of the deaths committed in the school avalanche one hundredfold. Because the Earth Kingdom did not have unified forces yet, the Earth King had no idea who had committed the egregious crime, and, indeed, where the children where now. Not wanting to admit to his lack of control over his own people, the Earth King said that the lives lost in the school were payment for the murder of the Earth King before him (his father). The Fire Lord disagreed, saying the lives of everyone in that school plus the fifty missing kids were not equal to the life of a single person, king or not.

The Earth King put out an order that the militia that had taken the children surrender them in Ba Sing Se immediately (all without letting the Fire Nation know that he did not have control over these forces). Overnight, thirty of the children were left hanging by their necks from the outer wall of the city. Each of their heads were shaved, tongues cut out, and their eyes mysteriously missing. This act was too public and shocking for the Earth Kingdom to cover up. Word reached the Fire Nation, and Sozin had launched a fleet of ships to seek revenge.

Acts of escalating violence erupted. Both sides knew that rogue groups representing a minority opinion in their respective nations had committed the first and retaliatory blows, but neither Fire nor Earth would admit it. Avatar Roku intervened before a full scale war had launched. Since they were friends once, the Avatar attempted to bring sense to Fire Lord Sozin. An armistice was not reached, so Roku was forced to leave the old man with a threat: Cease all aggressive motions in the Earth Kingdom or the Avatar _will_ force him to. Avatar Roku went to speak with the Earth King next (his forces had been consolidated by this time). He agreed to end all hostilities if the Fire Nation was willing to do the same. But Sozin would not be pacified until the remaining twenty children had been returned to their families or been otherwise accounted for.

Bringing the two rulers together in a neutral location in the Northern Water Tribe, Avatar Roku went about trying to force a ceasefire. Fire Lord and Earth King hissed and shouted at each other the entire time. Mediating the encounter wore heavily on the Avatar. In the end, according to the Water Tribe, it was Fire Lord Sozin that refused to compromise. To hear them say it, the old man could not get over the death and abduction of the children in the school. His agitated fire blast was so hot it nearly melted the room they stood in. Avatar Roku declared Sozin a threat to the balance of the world and _dealt_ with him. Azulon, still green around the ears, ascended to the throne and was all but forced to sign a treaty ending the budding war.

Unfortunately, nearly everyone in the Fire Nation was disgusted at this decision although none of them seemed to blame Azulon for caving to the treaty. As it was, Avatar Roku was shunned. No longer were there festivals inviting him back to the caldera or _any_ city to celebrate solstice. Not even the children stood waving with excitement when they saw Fang streak across the sky. The Fire Nation felt _betrayed_. Honor and loyalty (as vital as a beating heart for those of the Fire Nation) were tarnished where Avatar Roku was concerned. Hadn't he once been one of them? The citizen, once betrayed, would not—_could not_—open their hearts to the Avatar again. He lived out his (unnaturally long) life being shunned by his home nation.

Oddly enough, after Roku died, no announcement was made from the monks sixteen years later. Every nation tried to question the airbenders and find an answer. Who was the new Avatar? _Where_ is the new Avatar? _Gone_, they would finally say. _The Avatar is gone._ No clarification. They didn't say whether he had never been reborn into their ranks, if he had died when going into the Avatar state by accident, or if he fled one of their temples. The world was confused and no answers were forthcoming. Without an Avatar, the Water Tribe worried, how long until the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation destroyed each other?

Now, in both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, there were no _official_ hostilities. But the memories of the people are enduring. Neither side was willing to forget. Prejudices and uneven scores festered. Earth and Fire ships went missing in the seas between the two nations. Wreckage washed up on shores as far as the polar Water Tribes. Fire Nation cities were randomly and ferociously raided. There was never anyone remaining, no sign of anyone of any descent having lived there, and the villages are riddled with unusual rock formations. On the other hand, some Earth towns would be buzzing with business one day and completely gone—replaced by nothing but ashes—the next day.

It was never known what happened to the last twenty children. Their stories as out of reach as they had been. Ghost stories of the lost children of fire were born in the Fire Nation. Zuko knew this because Lu Ten had told them to him out by the turtle duck pond. His cousin had a gift for storytelling. No doubt he had inherited this from Uncle. The skies had been dark with rainclouds when Lu Ten last told him about the spirits of the children burning down the cities in the Earth Kingdom; seeking their revenge. When the thunder had clapped and the rain started to fall, Zuko had been sure he shouted in fright.

That had been two months ago. A convoy had been sent to the Southern Water Tribe with an ambassador to offer aid. He was supposed to help them after rough seas and a brutal blizzard had frozen settlements that were too close to the coast. Zuko had tried to imagine how devastating a storm could be that it could simply wash up an entire village and _freeze_ there, locking people in a cold hell. If the waterbenders down there couldn't unlock their cities, how awful must it have been?

The palace had stopped receiving word from the ship three weeks ago. Since the seas were always dangerous, the Fire Lord had decided to act. Fearing Fire Nation soldiers being captured or killed, Azulon summoned Ozai back to the palace and tasked with heading a search-and-rescue force. His goal was officially to locate the convoy, but everyone knew it was more than that. Ozai was to toe the line of the treaty signed all that time ago. Initially, Iroh had petitioned the Fire Lord to let him lead the search instead. Azulon refused. He wanted the Crown Prince to stay on Ember Island where he was safe (at least until the situation was resolved). Old and reaching his end, Fire Lord Azulon did not want any harm to come to his heir. His second son though … well, that's why people had second sons, right?

So Azula's fear for their father being away and traveling in those dangerous seas was not unfounded. To be sure, neither of Ozai's children was old enough to understand the complexities of politics, but they did know there was a de facto war going on between themselves and the Earth Kingdom. They knew that their father was now to travel those dangerous seas where people simply disappeared as if the spirits themselves had claimed them. Abstractly, they both knew that _bad things_ would happen if the Southern Water Tribe convoy was not found.

Curling harder into Zuko's side, Azula frowned. "It's been a long time. If they haven't heard from them in so long, they're probably dead ... or were taken prisoner."

"The south pole is really far away," he reminded her.

"Why is everyone looking for them if they're okay?"

"Their messenger hawk probably just got lost. But Father will be back soon and everything will be fine." He said this with more conviction than he felt. Zuko wouldn't mind if it took a little longer for Father to return.

The room shook with the storm outside. Zuko's mind flashed back to the geyser where the dying mother dragon was just barely keeping that pathetic fire of theirs burning.

In a small voice so very unlike her usual one, Azula asked, "Do you promise?"

A sigh huffed from Zuko, equally annoyed and tired. "Don't worry about it, Azula."

"Do you _promise_?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't believe it."

A hot hand touched his wrist. Zuko winced and yanked his hand away.

"_Liar_," Azula said with her youthful superiority. It must not have bothered her too much, since she seemed comforted just by being near him.

"I'm going back to sleep." He shifted around until his back was to her.

Frowning just a microscopic amount, she stuck her tongue out at him. Although she'd never admit to it, Zuko was often the only one that she found comfort in. When she'd woken up to the storm, she'd been afraid. The monsoon season was ending but it made the seas treacherous. Her _father_ was out on those seas. She loved her father more than anyone. More than Uncle Iroh, for sure, and perhaps only slightly more than Mother and Zuko. She wasn't used to being nervous or anxious. So the only thing for it was to go find Zuko. It wasn't his words she wanted as much as the closeness. Zuzu was her constant. He was always there being a dum-dum and sucking at firebending. No matter what she did or where she went, Zuko would still be there when she got back. The knot in her stomach had loosed significantly when she had burned his arm. No matter what, she knew, Zuko wasn't going anywhere.

Feeling more secure, she laid down next to him close enough for their backs to touch.

* * *

><p>During hottest and stormiest part of summer, the eggs began to hatch. For a month and a half Zuko had snuck off at night to bring food and fuel to the dragons. The fire was in a perpetual state of almost guttering out, but he thought to bring coals. With the mother's guiding breath, he was able to revive the fire some, and then use the coals to keep the eggs hot when the rain would fall and the fire died. It was easy for the dragon to keep the coals hot that way. Even after that waterspout drenched the island, the tiny orange glow of the coals didn't falter. Utilizing his sneaky prowess, Zuko also stole the burning oil. It was used mostly by military to keep their fires burning. The oil was by far the most efficient fuel source. The fires burned for a long time at a high temperature. As a result, it was immensely expensive.<p>

Zuko figured the dragons could use it more than their troops that weren't _officially_ at war.

Each night when he returned, the mother looked more and more grey. Her scales fell off in loud clumps, smoke rising off of them. No longer gold, they would lie there until they were nothing but ash. It didn't take long for Zuko to realize that these would make suitable fuel to keep the fire alive. Whenever her scales fell off, he scooped them up with quick fingers and fed them to the flames. She no longer left the geyser. Every time he came back, she was curled around the eggs and breathing on the fire. It was only a matter of time until she died.

On that night, he sat beside the mother feeling lost. Although he had promised himself he wouldn't get attached and that the eggs were probably petrified the whole time, Zuko knew he'd cry when she died. When he arrived by her side, she breathed that familiar hot steam on his face in a friendly way but it sounded strained and exhausted.

_This is it_, she seemed to say.

His hand found that comfortable place on her jaw. It wasn't nearly as hot as it had been before. Those yellow eyes closed at the touch. Content. Zuko knew her breathing by now. Slow and steady, he encouraged her to do it too. She had taught him miles more than any master his father had hired ever did. With the eggs as their subject, she had encouraged him to revive them. When the fire simmered down to the just the orange coals, they breathed and imparted life and heat back into the fire, into the eggs. With his dying dragon-master beside him, Zuko had been able to create a steady fire in the palms of his hands for almost a full hour. Sometimes the flames would shift around and he would swear they had been emerald for an instant.

With careful hands, he reached into the fire just as he had done the last two weeks (since he had been able), and picked out one of the eggs. On the inhale: fuel from his stomach, air from his lungs, and the energy was ignited out of his hands. He liked the way the fire seemed to beat like a tiny heart in his hands. _Life. _It was all about control and breath from there. They had worked this method out not too long ago. The fire he created was much hotter than that of the nest, and the mother seemed happy when he did this. Zuko was rather proud of it himself. Small though the flames in his hands were, they were hot and completely in his control. There were usually several false starts and a lot of smoke, but Zuko could call the flames eventually. Azula would have laughed but that didn't bother him.

The sudden crack that appeared in the shell surprised him. Though the fire in his hands died down, he kept breathing and didn't let them go out. _They're alive!_ That was all the encouragement he needed to send more fuel and air to his burning hands. _Heat and air and life!_ He thought of those three over and over as the tiny heartbeats in his hands fluttered.

It took a while, but the tiny hatchling finally clawed its way out. Shrieking like Azula had when she was a baby, its leathery wings stretched out. The mother huffed smoke and shifted painfully to be near. The gold and red dragon crawled from Zuko's hands toward its mother. He watched the two of them. Smoke poured out of her nose onto the tiny little thing. It felt intimate so he looked away.

Setting the shell down carefully, Zuko reached for the other golden egg. Lighting his hands in the same way, he held the egg in the flashing green fire. The second egg didn't take nearly as long to crack. The hatchling inside clawed its way free, effectively shattering the shell all over the place. The baby dragon looked at him with its mother's yellow eyes. Screeching at him, it curled into to his still-burning hands.

A stupid smile spread across his face. Zuko felt odd and slightly protective of the spiny lizard. A cloud of smoke covered him. The mother wanted the baby. He held his hands up for her to see. The two dragons growled and grunted to each other gently. She covered the baby in his hands with smoke just as she had with the other (who was now resting atop her head). Exhaling with satisfaction, the dragon put her head down and closed her eyes. He sat with the hatchling in his burning hands for what felt like a long time. Hot air stopped shimmering above her nose. Eventually _everything_ stopped.

The scarlet baby gave a cry and slithered down her long nose. The mother was like ash. When it moved, the scales and flesh simply sloughed off. Not missing a beat, the baby crawled into Zuko's smoldering hands beside its sibling. They seemed to be sleeping.

"What do I do now?" Zuko asked the dead dragon beside him. "I can't bring them home."

But really, what other choice did he have? If he left the hatchlings here they would surely be eaten. His mind settled on his mother. She was the one that told him stories about all the dragons on her home island. Even after most of them disappeared with the demise of Roku and Fang, Mother had told him that her island of origin had the highest concentration of dragons. Occasionally, she had told him, you could still see them streak across the sky or spit beautiful fire into the night. Mostly, people left them alone. It was rare, but if you wanted to see one today, that extremely volcanic island was your best bet.

So Zuko tucked the infant dragons into his outer tunic and climbed carefully out of the geyser. For most of the hike back he tried to keep the heat flowing in his chest so that they would stay warm. It wasn't easy, and he was already drained from the fire he'd used to help them hatch, not to mention the lack of sun. Cradling them inside the fabric, he went around to the beach-facing part of the house, where he knew his mother sat out at night.

Somewhere down the beach, a party was being held. The jaunty sounds of string instruments wafted toward him on the wind. There were non-distinct voices and a few fireworks. Zuko walked lightly up the steps to the balcony. His mother and Uncle Iroh sat around a tea table and looked slightly surprised when he turned up.

"Zuko." She couldn't keep the alarm out of her voice. "What are you doing out here? It's late. Is something wrong?"

"Um," he said. Why was he so bad with words? Speaking wasn't that difficult! "I, uh … I think I need your help with … um … something."

Ursa made to get up. Concern was writ across her face. It wasn't like her son to be out this late and acting so strangely. "What is it?"

Hesitantly, he reached into his tunic and held out leathery balls of fabric. At least, that's what it looked like. Almost without conscious thought, Zuko lit a fire around the bundles cupped in his hands. "They just hatched."

Ursa and Iroh knew better than to think he found some spiky trash on the street. Garbage did not _hatch. _No, they knew exactly what those were. Ursa reached out and took them from his hands. The hatchlings stirred at her touch. She felt like a little girl again and smiled at them.

"Hello," she cooed. To Zuko, "Where did you find these? The mother—! Are you okay? Are you burned?"

He shook his head without looking at her. "No. I'm okay." Reluctantly, he added, "The mother is dead."

Ursa looked dumbfounded, completely took off her guard. She had not expected anything like this to happen on Ember Island. She didn't expect something like this to happen _anywhere_. "Zuko, you were _bending_!"

Iroh collected the scarlet dragon in his hands and stroked it with candle-sized flames on his fingertips. "I think we are in for a story, Lady Ursa."

Iroh poured Zuko a cup of tea even though he knew his nephew hated the drink and only consumed it to please him. Both sat and listened closely as Zuko recounted the past month and a half he had spent with the dying mother. He talked about breathing with the dragon and thinking about bringing life to the petrifying eggs. There were tales of creating thick smoke and sparks that just barely kept the nest burning. The hatchlings moved among them oblivious to the conversation. Though they sniffed and crawled around Ursa and Iroh curiously, when they grew tired of that they made their way back over to Zuko. Without really thinking about it, he was letting small billows of smoke out of his hands that wrapped comfortingly around the infant dragons.

When Zuko was done talking, which was admittedly fast, he took a big gulp of the lukewarm tea. He blanched at the taste before he could stop himself. Uncle Iroh chuckled softly.

"They certainly seem to like you," Iroh said after a pause.

All three of them looked down to the dragons sleeping Zuko's smoke. Immediately, he stopped bending.

"I didn't know I was doing that." A part of him was ready to swat the offending smoke away, but the dragons seemed to like it so he let it be.

Ursa was smiling. _Positively beaming_.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked hesitantly.

"Dragons recognize their parents by smoke. It is said that everything that produces smoke has a unique flavor. The parents breathe on the nest so that the babies will recognize them when they hatch," she explained. With a wave at the two before him she continued, "They think of you as their protector, their _parent_. Your smoke is comforting to them. And _their_ presence is comforting to _you_. Zuko, they're _your_ dragons."

He shook his head quickly. "No, that can't be right. Dragons can't be tamed. Fang wasn't even tamed. Dragons aren't _pets_. _You_ told me that, Mother. I was just helping them."

It was Iroh's turn to speak: "You're right. Dragons are not pets or servants. They disappeared when they thought we were no longer worthy, when we hunted the very thing that gave us the spirits' gift. A long time ago, Zuko, and I mean _a long _time ago, dragons were our allies, companions, and our _equals_. Every firebender had a dragon counterpart. Together they would form a single entity, thinking with the same mind and sharing a soul.

"Some say that is where our sense of loyalty and honor was forged. A dragon could not attack its brother. To do so would only bring suffering upon oneself. For a firebender's dragon to be slayed was the biggest disgrace one could suffer. It was a literal tearing of a soul. No one can survive that sort of trauma. Once loyalty was forged with another, to go back on it was to kill.

"That's why the dragons left. Firebenders became selfish and power-hungry, interested only in war. There hasn't been a symbiotic relationship between a firebender and a dragon for centuries, with the obvious exception being Avatar Roku. You are right in saying that dragons cannot be tamed. But they _can_ be allied with. You have shown us this is still possible, nephew."

Ursa nodded. "The mother trusted you with her children. That is not something that has happened in living memory. Avatar Roku was the first person to ever raise a dragon from the egg. Before that, only adult dragons forged relationships with firebenders. What you have done here is quite significant."

That was putting it mildly.

Zuko frowned down at the dragons. Eyebrows pinched together. "I don't want this."

Both adults looked stunned. What he had done was remarkable. Someone should be recording this and sending word throughout the Fire Nation. Zuko was damn near a messiah. A mother dragon had entrusted him with the raising of not one but _two_ dragons. This was legend. Ursa and Iroh could do nothing but stare at him. Slowly it dawned on them that he was probably overwhelmed.

Seeing their faces, Zuko said, "I thought I was just helping a wounded animal. I thought you would make sure the babies weren't going to die and help me release them back into the wild. I don't want to raise dragons or anything."

What they both knew he meant was that he didn't want to be responsible for something so important.

"I'm afraid it's too late for that, nephew," Iroh said kindly. "She chose you to look out for them. You wouldn't give up on a dying mother's request, would you?"

His cheeks puffed out stubbornly. Finally, he shook his head. "No. I wouldn't."

Ursa put a hand on his jaw so that Zuko would look at her. "We can talk about it more in the morning. You should be in bed. You look utterly exhausted. Things are always clearer when the sun's shining, right?"

Tiredly: "Right." After a pause: "What do I do with them?"

When Ursa stood, he followed suit. But not before scooping up the tiny winged lizards. It did not escape the adults' notice how protective and gentle he was of them. She led him back inside with a hand on his shoulder. "We'll get a brazier for them. They'll prefer the fire still, if they're just hatchlings."

* * *

><p>The second Zuko woke up, he knew something was amiss. It just <em>felt<em> wrong. His eyes opened to take in the scene of his room. It was _hot_. A hand to the head encountered an impressive swath of sweat. Sitting up, he tugged at his collar. Ursa was beside the brazier with a plate of diced meats. A small smile sparked her face when she saw him stirring. The baby dragons seemed to sense him too, because they both stretched up on hind legs and flapped their wings without coordination.

"They seem to be glad you're up," Ursa said softly.

He frowned, unable to shake the feeling that something was off. When his eyes drifted to the window the frown deepened. "It's late."

Indeed the sun well past rising. It shone fully just above the horizon; still early by the rest of the world's standards.

"You were up late. I let you sleep."

"I never wake up late." Scooting towards the edge of the bed, Zuko gazed at the dragons. _His_ dragons. "It feels really hot in here. Are they okay?"

Stoking the coals, she replied, "I've been trying to offer them something to eat. I don't think they trust me." She offered the plate to him. "You should try offering it to them."

Zuko accepted the plate. "You cooked the meat," he noted. It seemed strange to him.

"Dragons are our equals, Zuko. Would _you_ eat raw meat?"

"I guess not."

"When they're old enough, they can catch and sear their own food. For now, I thought we could help them," she patiently explained.

Nodding, he offered a piece of meat to the tiny creatures in the fire. Passively he noted how they moved like salamanders in the coals; tiny and sticking to the warmest spots. The gold and white one advanced and paused only to clamp the meat between its jaws. It then proceeded to crawl right up Zuko's arm and settle down to eat on his shoulder. Quickly, he offered a second piece to the scarlet dragon. It acted in much the same way, lying down in the crook of his arm instead.

Ursa looked delighted. "What I wouldn't give to have a portrait of this."

Zuko shifted uncomfortably. After a few moments he asked, "So I really have to take care of them? Forever?"

She settled down on the edge of the bed beside him. Though she normally would have put an arm around him, she didn't want to disturb the dragons. "What makes you so uncomfortable? You don't want to take care of them?"

He would have shrugged if there wasn't someone on his shoulder. "I guess I didn't realize I was doing anything important when I found the mother. I thought the eggs were petrified. Didn't realize I was signing a contract. It wasn't a big deal."

"I think you knew exactly what you were getting yourself into. A dragon hasn't taught us to firebend since the Sun Warriors went extinct. You know that. And you know that they had to offer something to the dragons before they would teach them. She taught you firebending in exchange for you taking care of the eggs. You knew this the whole time, Zuko. You'll get used to it."

Her eyes were met with a stubborn frown. A snap of leathery wings caught both of their attention. Zuko fed them each another piece of meat. Quiet settled again.

"Will you help me?" his quiet voice ventured.

"Of course I will."

And that settled it. Heaving a resigned sigh, Zuko muttered, "And I thought Azula was bad."

Ursa feigned deafness. "Now, have you named them yet?"

He shook his head. The golden one licked at his sweating cheek as if it knew it was being discussed.

"Well," Ursa said, "what we have here are two Desert Dragons. Their species is greater in population but much more reclusive than the traditional dragon Avatar Roku had. Despite their name, they're the only dragon species that can swim. They prefer boiling water, of course."

That there was more than one type of dragon Zuko knew. He just didn't know the names of the species or how they differed really. Just looking at the bodies of the two lying on him told him how stupid that mindset had been. Where Fang had four legs and a set of massive wings, the two Desert Dragons had only powerful hind legs and four clawed fingers extending from a joint in the wing. As far as appearance went, they were much more reminiscent of birds or bats than the serpentine dragon the last Avatar rode.

Carefully, he plucked the golden one off his shoulder. Its tiny tight-knit scales reflected the sun's light back at him. "Rya," Zuko decided. Then he held the dragon up as if to ask his mother if it was appropriate.

Ursa lifted it out of his hands and examined it. Those wild molten eyes stared intensely back at her. Its hind legs kicked until it was comfortable in her hands. Perhaps it was more trusting of her now that Zuko was awake. "Rya," she agreed. "She is a girl."

"I thought she might be," he said. "Reminds me of the mother. Same kind of coloring."

A small part of her wished she had been able to see the golden beast. That would have been a sight to behold. Instead, she turned her attention to the scarlet and gold dragon on her son's arm. "What about that one? It's a boy."

The tail swished and slithered against Zuko's skin. The sensation felt foreign but not completely unwelcome. Tiny teeth nipped at his skin. He offered it another piece of meat before saying, "Shenn."

"Rya and Shenn," Ursa said nodding.

The rest of the day was spent on the beach. The little dragons were clingy. Zuko couldn't go two steps alone before they would start screeching and yapping. It seemed there wasn't anything they liked more than to ride around on his shoulder and curl up in his tunic. Azula was interested in them only long enough for Shenn to bite her. After that she declared them tiny and boring. Zuko noticed that she would always be looking curiously at them whenever she thought no one was looking. He suspected she didn't like losing all the attention. With Father off searching for that convoy, there weren't a lot of people around to give her constant praise.

Lu Ten found them fascinating. He gave Zuko a hard look when he realized that his cousin had been off hatching dragons the night he wondered off. Because Ursa was nearby Lu Ten did not press the subject. It was a little too soon for his aunt to know how miserably he had failed as a babysitter. Not only had he let one sneak away, but it took him a _long time_ to even realize Zuko was gone.

For their part, Rya and Shenn were just as curious about everyone else. They would sniff and cry shrilly. Without a doubt, they were enjoying themselves. Whenever they got tired they would stumble back toward Zuko. All day he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The distractions helped, but when the sun fell below the water the uneasy feeling remained.

Sitting out on the veranda after dinner, Ursa, Iroh, and Zuko watched Lu Ten and Azula spar. In any other circumstance seeing a young girl take on a grown firebender would be funny. But Azula sure was giving her cousin a run for his money. It appeared that she didn't believe in a defense. She knew how to block, but it was clear to see that she preferred to deter attacks with attacks of her own. Zuko didn't think this was a good method but kept it to himself.

It was during all of this that a messenger hawk swooped down gracefully and settled on the railing. Cawing its arrival, the hawk bobbed its head. Iroh retrieved the message and offered it water from a cup. It dunked its beak a few times before taking wing. Iroh sat down and read through the message.

"Oh!" he said with a mix of emotions.

Ursa and Zuko's heads turned towards him in unison.

"What is it?" she asked without sounding too curious.

Iroh smiled. "It appears we will be hosting a few guests from the Southern Water Tribe. Ozai's second convoy was able to help them, and they are sending representatives of their own to search for our missing ship and meet with us to offer thanks. The waterbenders are such gracious people."

"They're coming here?" Zuko asked. "To the island? Not the palace?"

"That's what it says."

"Hmm." There were no more comments from him on the topic. They rarely had people from other nations come to Fire Nation. If they did come, they were always received at the palace. Zuko wasn't dumb. He knew that when his family went to 'vacation' on Ember Island all the war generals and secretaries took the same 'vacation.' The island was nothing more than a camouflaged meeting place. If the Southern Water Tribe was coming _here_ then it wasn't a social call.

"Does it say who's coming?" Ursa asked.

Iroh referenced the letter again even though both Ursa and Zuko knew he didn't have to. "Chief Hakoda and his family, a handful of other high-ranking warriors in the tribe. The second-in-command now oversees the rebuilding of the cities in their absence."

"When shall we expect them?"

Again, he unnecessarily referenced the page. "By the end of the week."

* * *

><p>Each day preceding the arrival of the Southern Water Tribe, Zuko woke up late. Sweat would soak through his bedclothes and sheets. Needless to say, it was unbearably uncomfortable. The brazier would crackle merrily away, but Zuko came to resent it for the excessive heat it provided. Each day the sun would be higher and higher in the sky by the time he woke up. Sometimes the sweat and heat that forced him into wakefulness wouldn't leave him until the late afternoon. It made him irritable and the clingy dragons did nothing to help him. The only time that they seemed content to be without him was when he filled a large basin with water. Heating it until the water bubbled with his weak firebending, they swam happily for hours. Watching them cut the water like dolphin-eels lost its novelty to him, and soon he was setting up the boiling basin just so he could nap while they were quiet.<p>

On the day of their guests' arrival, Ursa had to rouse him from sleep. She hadn't thought much of his late risings over the past week, but as soon as she felt the heat coming off him the wheels in her mind were spinning.

"Zuko," she called him again. When his bleary gaze focused on her, she continued, "Have you been feeling hotter than usual?"

His slight shoulders shrugged under her hands. Already he was falling back asleep. "The brazier …"

A smile fought for a place on Ursa's face. Silently she thanked Agni and all the dragons. "Zuko, kid, it's not the brazier."

"Oh," he mumbled. It took a minute for the sleep to fall off his face. Copper eyes looked at her excitedly. "_Oh!_"

"The spirits are testing you," Ursa said mostly for herself. Despite being _certain_ her son was a firebender, she had to admit there were several times doubt had plagued her mind. It was a relief to have all the question marks cleared up.

"Even though I feel like trash, I think I'm happy, too," he mumbled. "I should have realized."

"Well, I guess you have a perfectly solid excuse for why you shouldn't be down at the docks to receive our guests. I'll tell your uncle the good news." A frown creased her face. The Spirits' Test wasn't _that_ dangerous anymore. But one undergoing the test should not be left unattended. Zuko was older than any other kid who had been sick during the Test, so he should know how to take care of himself. But still … Ursa had to remind herself that princesses of the Fire Nation do not bite their lip when making decisions. "I'll have Kyko stay with you until we come back. You'll be okay until then?"

"I feel fine, Mom." For some reason that satisfied smile didn't look completely right on his tired face. Ursa supposed that not many kids got excited about being sick, so this situation didn't really fit the protocol. "You guys won't be gone long. Don't worry. I'll probably be in the same place you left me."

That was true enough.

Ursa had gotten Azula outfitted in the appropriate skirts and left with Iroh and Lu Ten. Not sticking exactly to his word, Zuko left his sweat-soaked bed to entertain Rya and Shenn. They could hover now. Their wings beat furiously and a little clumsily, but they achieved short flight. It appeared that they grew and learned new tricks much faster than Zuko did. Already their size must have doubled. They consumed komodo chicken at an alarming rate. Rya even smoked the meat herself. She and Shenn couldn't spit fire yet, but Rya was already spitting that telltale smoke. When he held them, their scales grew hotter.

They followed Zuko out of the room and climbed up his clothes until they sat on either of his shoulders. The path to the tub they swam in was already familiar to them. When they were close enough, Shenn attempted to fly down to the water. Instead, his weak wings flapped uselessly and he splashed gracelessly into the tub. Rya crawled down Zuko's arm before falling in with less fanfare. He sat with his back to the tub while they shrieked and swam. That's where Kyko found him. She placed a tray of food down beside him before bowing low.

"Thank you," he said to her even though he knew that royalty was not supposed to thank the servants. It always seemed wrong to deny them those two words.

Kyko waved away his thanks like she always did. Sitting down cross-legged, she said, "Lady Ursa told me the big news. Congratulations, Prince Zuko."

He was grateful that the Test made him feverish so that she couldn't tell he'd colored at her words. There was no one who could take a compliment worse than Zuko. "It's about time," were the words he finally managed.

"She asked me to give you something to help with the fever before she left." Kyko gestured to the small glass vial beside a cup of water on the tray she'd brought with her. "Made it herself in about two minutes. Your mother is very proud of you. I promised her that I'd make sure you drank it."

Zuko knew that Kyko was technically there to serve him and the family, but he always did what she said. If he so desired, he could order her around to do the most ridiculous tasks. She was a nurse, when you got down to it. Zuko could easily refuse her and be in no risk of being reprimanded. At least not by Kyko. Mother would certainly be looking for an explanation to why he hadn't heeded her. So he had come to the conclusion that Kyko spoke with Mother's voice. In reality she may not have authority over him, but Zuko liked to think she did. Obediently, he drained the vial. There was a weak but lingering medicinal taste left over, so he chased it with some water.

Kyko smiled both approvingly and gratefully.

The two of them spent the time talking and not talking. Zuko never felt like he had to talk to Kyko, so their silences were just as comfortable as their conversations. He sipped from the cup of water and tried to make it last. By now the heat he woke up with would sweat itself away, but today it seemed to stick to him in damp clouds. It made him feel heavy and slow. Above all, Zuko felt _hot_. The heat came in waves and sometimes it would make his vision squirm around the edges. Kyko sensed this and suggested that he go back to bed.

Rya and Shenn clawed excitedly from the tub when he coughed his first puff of smoke. It was thick and dark, and the dragons loved it. Rya spat back her small smoke. Zuko supposed it would have been cool if the smoke didn't sear his throat on the way out. He was not very impressed by the dragon's imitation. Another round of smoky hacks put the thought out of his mind. Kyko saw him panting and hauled him to his feet. She all but marched him down the airy halls back to his room. Thankfully, the sweaty bedding had been changed.

Sternly, Kyko said, "Bed." To emphasize this, she pointed an iron finger toward the furniture in question.

His reluctance must have shown on his face, because the look she gave him more than subdued him. Zuko did as she said. A voice in the back of his head suspected Mother had put something in her vial that was supposed to make him sleep. Kyko was extinguishing the brazier when the dragons came skittering across the floor and into the room. They could cover alarming real estate on foot.

"They need that," Zuko said of the brazier.

For some reason he regretted speaking up when his caretaker leveled him with that look. "They'll live," she said curtly. The smoking pot was pulled outside to smoke out.

The dragons, for their part, didn't miss a beat. Clawing their way up the bed, they curled into the hollows of Zuko's frame like a foxhound. Upon her re-entrance, Kyko frowned at the arrangements. The dragons only provided heat his body didn't need. She told herself that there was no way she'd get them away from him for any extended length of time. Where would they go? What would they do? No solution was forthcoming, so Kyko decided to tell Lady Ursa about her concerns and let the princess deal with it.

Shenn sniffed the air excitedly when Zuko coughed that black smoke again.

"I'll be right back," she told her young charge. He was already halfway asleep again. "Don't move." The last bit was unnecessary but it fell out anyway.

Kyko brought back with her a bowl and a tall glass of seawater. He sat up when she asked him to.

Holding the water out, she instructed, "Drink, swish, and spit."

Zuko did as she asked, spitting out the seawater earlier than expected. A dry cough followed. "Salty!" he declared. "Why did you give me …?"

But he saw exactly why. In the bowl, the water and saliva was a dark grey. No prompt was needed for him to take a second drink and swish it around vigorously. The second spit was almost black.

"Everything will taste like ashes until it clears up, I'm afraid," she said. "You're like a chimney. We have to clear all that gunk out."

They did this a few more times before Kyko was satisfied. Though he'd been awake for only a few hours, she ordered him back to sleep. It felt wrong to be sleeping at this time of day. Zuko couldn't recall if he'd ever voluntarily gone back to sleep while the sun was still in the sky. But he _was_ rather tired. So it didn't take very long for him to fall back asleep. Kyko woke him up more than once to make him eat something and drink so much water she might as well have drowned him. He was always thankful that she did that, though, because he found he was always thirsty the next time she woke him.

The sun was just about to hit the western horizon when he woke up next. The feeling made him all the more tired. No doubt he'd sleep like an earthbender once the sun was completely gone. Ursa was beside him waiting patiently for him to register her presence. Zuko was about to say something when he felt the ash in his mouth. Had it collected in his mouth while he slept? Did he cough like that while asleep? His mother intuitively knew what was wrong, and offered the salt water and the cleaned basin for him to spit in.

"How's it coming?" she asked when he was done.

"Was more fun this morning." Feeling their heat more than seeing them, Zuko pushed the dragons away so that they didn't touch him. It was so hot now he was afraid of burning them. A stupid thought, he knew. At the time, he was expecting his sweat to steam off his skin. "How are the waterbenders?"

His mother smiled. "They're wonderful people. Chief Hakoda and his family joined us for dinner. We will be treating him and his wife to a social night with the other nobles in a bit. I wanted to check on you before I left."

"Oh. I'm doing fine."

Ursa's face fell a bit at the news. "Oh. Good. I could stay with you, you know. You're not feeling well, and they would understand."

Zuko's lips twitched. "Mother, are you using me as an excuse to get out of a meeting?"

"I suppose I am," she laughed. And Ozai said that Azula was the one best suited for service to the Fire Lord. The humor dampened on her face a little when a round of wet coughs racked his body. She swiped the smoke out of the air with a wave of her hand much to the dismay of the dragons. "You're sure you're feeling okay?"

"It's just the Spirits' Test," he reminded her thickly.

Not too much later, Ursa left with Iroh and the Chief and his wife. Lu Ten haunted the house, checking on Zuko every so often. It was a good thing that the window was open because as soon as his mother left, Zuko was plagued with coughs. The smoke was threatening to become sickeningly thick. Sleep would not come because of it. After an hour of shifting under the smoke, Zuko got up and headed for the sand. At the very least, the air was cooler. A storm was on its way in. Rya and Shenn skittered after him.

Sitting in the sand cross-legged, he lit his palms. It felt _good_. All that heat that was making him sweat and made his blood feel hot in his veins finally had somewhere to go. The bending made him tired, but the relief it brought was more than worth it. That being said, it wasn't long before he was hacking up more smoke. He let the fire in his hands go out so he could focus on breathing.

The dragons were sparring in the sand, both of them the same silvery color in the spotty moonlight. Their happy chirps were enough to focus on as he lit his hands. Again, he only got so far before his lungs interrupted him. It was the voice that really grated on his nerves after he caught his breath.

"What's the matter with you?" it asked. "Can't you control your bending?"

Igniting a fire in his hand once again, Zuko held the light up in the direction the voice came from. "Show yourself," he said roughly.

And a little girl in blue materialized from nowhere. One moment she was just a voice in the darkness, but then a cloud shifted and the moon shone on the pretty little girl. She didn't hesitate to walk right up and peer at him, a challenge in her eyes. The sounds of the dragons sparring caught her attention and those blue eyes focused on them.

"Whoa," she breathed. "Are those actual dragons?"

Zuko didn't say anything. Perhaps it was the sickness that made his brain all clogged up. No words occurred to him. She looked at him and waited for an answer. His neck nodded the affirmative stiffly.

"Are they yours?" was her next questions.

He considered telling her that dragons didn't belong to anyone, that they weren't pets or animals that could be _had_ or domesticated. However, this distinction seemed to be lost on people that were not native to the Fire Nation. To everyone else, to ally with a dragon was to _have _a dragon. So Zuko didn't correct her, only nodded in the same manner as before.

That answer was all she needed to plop down beside him and coo at them. Shenn approached first, sniffing the air cautiously. No doubt he found the Water Tribe girl foreign. How often does a dragon encounter one anyway? Because that's what she was, right? Zuko couldn't draw up any other explanation. The scarlet dragon sensed no threat and crawled into the girl's lap. She started to talk in a foolish, high-pitched voice as if Shenn was a baby. Zuko fought the urge to roll his eyes. Rya must have thought along the same lines because she came over to him and settled on his shoulder.

Despite thinking the girl was acting ridiculous towards the dragon, he didn't interrupt. At least not on purpose. It could go on only so long before his lungs spat smoke out again. The heat of the air left his throat feeling singed. Almost like she was mocking him, Rya spat her own smoke at his cheek.

"Why do you keep doing that?" the girl asked shortly.

If Zuko didn't know any better, he would have said that this girl was upset at him for interrupting her while she played with _his _dragon. His irritation only grew when he realized he'd thought of Shenn as something that could be owned.

"I'm not doing it on purpose!" he grounded out.

"So you can't control your bending?"

"No," he hissed. "I mean, yes, I can control it. It's just the Spirits' Test."

"The _what_?"

"The Spirits' Test."

"What is _that_?"

Zuko spluttered. How could she not know what the Spirits' Test is? How did he explain it? "Don't waterbenders have a Spirits' Test?"

Her eyebrows crawled up her forehead. "I don't know. What is it?"

So he struggled to explain about how all firebenders became fevered and would unleash a new level of power once they recovered. The girl looked perplexed the whole time. Personally, she thought Tui and La were much nicer to the waterbenders. Why would these crazy Fire Nation people pray to Agni when he cursed all those the spirits touched with such a sickness? The girl's mother always said Agni's children were crazy. Why else would they worship him?

Seeing the girl's doubtful look after he had explained, Zuko plucked Rya off his shoulder and held her. Speaking to the dragon instead of the girl, he added, "Fire can be dangerous, but it can also mean life. Firebending is the line between destroying and creating. The Spirits' Test only claims the lives of those who would never be able to reconcile the two." He smiled at Rya before looking at the girl. "Or so they say."

"I guess that makes sense. I mean, not a lot of sense, but you know …"

The rest of her sentence was drowned in dark coughs. It seemed to go on too long. But it subsided after so long and he could breathe again. The fit hadn't gone unnoticed. Lu Ten was drawn to the sound. He stood sternly behind the two of them.

"Zuko, what do you think you're doing?"

He turned to face his cousin. "Is it a crime to sit outside?"

"No. But it's incredibly stupid when you're sick."

"I'm just sitting … and talking, I guess."

Lu Ten waited for another fit of coughing to pass. "Come on. Come inside. I'll take you to Kyko for some soothing tea and maybe something to help you sleep. Would you like to see more of the house, Miss Katara?"

Zuko whipped around to look at the girl. She had to be Azula's age. Katara, was it? Water Tribe names sounded strange to him. They all kind of just rolled around in his mouth. Absently, he supposed Fire Nation names must sound harsh to the Water Tribes. _Miss Katara_. Miss? Wasn't her father the chief of her tribe? Shouldn't her title be princess or something of more prestige? Miss was the name of a common person. The Water Tribes were a strange place indeed.

"I'd love to," the girl, _Katara_, said.

"Come along, firefly," Lu Ten said to Zuko when he didn't stand up.

Resenting his cousin calling him a childish term of endearment, Zuko did as he said anyway. No way did he appreciate being called a bug in front of this guest, no matter how weird her title and name were. He had never met someone from the Water Tribes before, indeed never someone so close to his own age. Shenn stayed on her shoulder the whole way down to the room that they called the infirmary for lack of a better word. It had no _real_ staff (Water Tribe healers or Fire Nation doctors). But the room housed their medical supplies and medicines. The other nations would be surprised how often firebenders are injured on their vacations. Of course, they would argue that it wasn't a good vacation without a few good burns to show off in the autumn. They were an explosive people, after all.

Kyko sat at a small table that might have been called a desk if it were just a bit wider. A teacup sat at her elbow as she poured over a large book. No doubt it was taken from the small medical library that was set into the wall farthest from the open bay windows. Living right on the beach, the books had to bound more protectively in leather covers with sticky imported glues along their spines. Stacks of scrolls would be damaged beyond repair in a single summer here. If it wasn't the humidity, then the crashing rains do them in.

She looked up from the tome, and stood to bow when she saw them enter.

After she rose, Kyko asked politely, "And what are you doing here so late at night, may I ask?"

Lu Ten tapped Zuko's shoulder. "This one. Do you think you could fix something for him? It's late and he'd been smoking like a chimney. His room's absolutely full of it."

That polite, obedient smile crossed her face. Zuko always noticed that Kyko became different when someone asked something of her. Gone was the stern and smart nurse. What stood in her place was a servant. It was hard for his brain to get both versions to represent the same person. Maybe he'd judged the titles of the Water Tribe girl too quickly.

"Of course," Kyko said. "I'll get right on it. And how about some tea? I find it soothes the mind."

"You sound like my father," Lu Ten said with a good-natured eye roll.

She smiled at him as she got to work on the water. "Prince Lu Ten, I don't believe anyone has ever paid me such a splendid compliment."

Another servant appeared in the doorway. She was older and never seemed quite as subservient as Kyko. Zuko found this both refreshing and unnerving. Her job was to serve, but she seemed to never let them forget that she could kill them all any time she wished. Gruffly she said, "Prince Lu Ten, Princess Azula has played an awful prank on that Water Tribe boy. I daresay the situation requires your attention. The boy is quite upset and the princess finds this _amusing._"

"Right," Lu Ten said calmly. Turning to Zuko he added in a low voice, "Your sister will be the end of us all." In a normal volume: "I'll see to it and return as soon as I can. Lead the way."

Zuko watched his cousin follow the servant out of the doorway. Vaguely he wondered what Azula could have done to scare the Water Tribe boy. He knew she could be terrifying, but he also wondered how much of a pansy the boy must have been to let Azula rile him up. It didn't take long for him to reach the conclusion that it must have been entirely his sister's fault. Letting her loose on fresh meat was their fault.

"He's your brother?" Zuko asked Katara. The silence had been awkward, with Kyko shooting them figurative glances over the teapot.

"Yeah," she said. He noticed how much more shy she was now that they were inside under the eye of an adult. That challenge in her eye was gone. "Sokka is older than me."

_Sokka_, he thought. The name wasn't nearly as smooth as _Katara_. It sounded like something you would spit out. He decided he liked her name much more. Just thinking it reminded him of stones shaped and smoothed by a river. Hers was a name with an edge that wasn't sharp.

"Your sister?" she asked.

"Azula," he said automatically and didn't add anything else. Just how would he describe his sister without making her out to be the annoying little brat she was? Was there a nice way to say she was terrifying and impressive all at once? Zuko was almost glad for the onset of smoky coughs so that he didn't have to elaborate.

They just sat there in silence. Kyko brewed tea and arranged the medicines Ursa had left her in the correct order, mixing them quietly. Only a single scone burned by the nurse's table. Rya had slid down Zuko's back to flap her wings and curl up on the bed the two children sat on. Shenn left Katara's arm to lie beside his sister. Zuko was glad to be rid of the dragon's heat. As if he wasn't sweating enough. Had Katara noticed? Here he sat shedding fat drops of sweat beside a chieftain's daughter. How embarrassing.

That's when several things happened in quick succession. Zuko let loose a particularly strong cloud of black smoke. Kyko moved to bring the tea tray over to him and Katara when a loud _thump_ was heard from the bay windows.

"For fuck's sake!" a voice yelled.

Another said, "No one is supposed to be here!"

Kyko tripped over her skirts and shrieked, "Burglar!"

The scone flared with heat and then guttered out. Another _thump_ and a squeal sounded from where Zuko thought Kyko had been before the light was sucked from the room. Almost immediately, there was the sound of a body hitting the floor. A calloused hand gripped the back of his neck. Katara made a distressed sound next to him. The hand was dragging him toward the bay window before Zuko could get his feet under him. Shenn and Rya were absolutely _screeching_ in all their infant anger. He tried to take in a breath to scream with them, but it grated on his sore throat and he only coughed smoke at his captor.

"Fuck, that one's a bender!" the voice above him said.

"Get rid of 'em," came another voice.

A distinct splash was heard. Then a deep grunt. Zuko was sure he heard Katara squeal in pain.

"A damn waterbender!"

"When did the fucking Water Tribe get here?"

"Get rid of both of them!"

"Shit, they're just kids!"

"Lu Ten," Zuko tried to say, choking on the smoke in this throat. He was sure his heart was going to beat right out of his chest. Pure terror was coursing through him. A good breath was drawn deep into his lungs. Then he forced it out with as much volume as he could. "Lu Ten!"

The sound echoed around the room and rang in his ears. The hand that wasn't on his neck slapped over his mouth. Still, the hand was steering him toward the window. Panic shook him. Zuko lit a fire in his hands without a thought and latched on to the arm around him so hard his nails probably drew blood.

"_Ah!_ The little shit!"

But it worked. He released him. Zuko crabbed toward the exit. "Help! Lu Ten!"

Katara remained silent. There had to be at least six people in the room all talking at the same time, but he didn't hear her. Even Rya and Shenn could be heard in the din. Zuko ran into Kyko's still body. His hand touched something wet near her head. The scent of tangy metal met his nose. _Blood_. His stomach did an uncomfortable flip.

So he _screamed_.

Something viselike clamped on his ankle and pulled him back through that horrible puddle of blood. There were echoing smashes and feet pounding on the ground beyond the door. Someone was coming! From the sound of it, several people were coming. One of the voices said as much.

"People are coming! We have to go, Jong-su! We'll try some other time!"

"Kill the kids! We can't risk it!"

"They're _kids!_ They could be useful. Hostages…"

"Fine! Just get out of here, back to the ship!"

The vise dragged him until arms closed tightly around his torso. He didn't stop struggling even though he could feel Kyko's blood soaking into his clothes, sizzling when it touched his fevered skin. The boots fleeing for the windows shook the ground Zuko was lying prone on. The door went up in flames, and his saviors rushed into the room.

Shouts. So many voices shouting.

A hand slapped over his mouth again. He shook his head side to side and tried biting the flesh over his mouth. His eyes locked with Lu Ten's for the briefest moment. Those gold eyes were wide with worry and panic.

"Drop my son _now_," a horrifyingly ice-cold voice hissed.

Was that really Mother?

Zuko tried frantically to find her face, but the person holding him was putting pressure on a certain spot on his neck. His eyes wouldn't focus, the lids becoming suddenly heavy. There were several _woosh_ings that reached his ears, indicative of firebending. An impressive display of colors swirled around before him all out of focus. More shouts; they sounded angry and pained and _vindictive_. Zuko couldn't make sense of the words. The pressure in his neck suddenly increased, and he might have gone boneless.

* * *

><p>The sun was rising after that long, terrible night. Iroh pushed his way into the destroyed infirmary. Ursa sat on one of the beds worrying a bug net between her slender fingers. Exactly as he had left her. Kyko's body had been removed and was being prepared for burning, but her blood still stained the floor. It was smeared where the kids had been dragged through it.<p>

Carefully, he said, "Lady Ursa, the Water Tribesmen have decided they would like to stay and help mount a search party to find Miss Katara and Prince Zuko. The Fire Lord has called a convening of all the generals and warlords. He is expected to declare war on the Earth Kingdom before sundown."

She didn't look up at him. "We do not know it was the Earth Kingdom that abducted them."

"That is not how the Fire Lord sees it. Who else could it be?"

She shrugged. "We should prepare to return to the caldera city. Is Azula around?" Ursa looked deeply upset suddenly. "Have I lost track of both of them so soon?"

"Lu Ten is with her," Iroh said comfortingly. "You have lost one, yes. Ursa, it will not do for you to sit around defeated. Think of Azula. She is still here, and she needs you now more than ever. You mustn't become lost now. You will never find Zuko if you have lost yourself."

"You're right, of course."

That fire she had last night still seemed to be kindling inside her. Ursa was a pleasant woman, tempered with manners. Even Iroh had been surprised by the ferocity his mild sister-in-law had attacked the invaders with. A dragon raises a dragon, it seemed. Take her eggs and she will deal you ten times the hurt you caused her.

That reminded him.

Iroh glanced toward the ruined bay window. White gold and scarlet sang their misery to the rising sun. They flapped their wings futilely. If they were capable of pursing, they would have done so already. The sounds they made broke his heart. Iroh did know some things about dragons not many others did. He took comfort in the fact that, while the dragons were singing their sorrow, they were _not_ calling out the Dragon's Lament. Wherever Zuko was, he was not dead. If he died, Rya and Shenn would let them know it.

* * *

><p><strong>Note:<strong>

**Wow! Thanks for sticking around this long! **

******(Disclaimers, etc. )******

****This is actually the obnoxiously long prologue to an even longer multi-chapter story I abandoned. The original plot dealt with some pretty gruesome and bleak material that I didn't think there's really an audience for (think war and _Law & Order: Special Victims Unit_). I felt like this prologue/preface/exposition/whatever could stand alone. I realize that may be a bit of a stretch. ********But I figured that if I'm going to write 17,000 words, I might as well post it, right? ****

****Sorry for my bad made-up names. ****

****By the way, the title is totally stolen from a Fall Out Boy song. ****

****Cheers,****

****E.R. ****


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